Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World

This is the second page of this material on deluxe resorts; for the first page, click here.

ROOM QUALITY, FLOOR PLANS AND PRICING AT DISNEY WORLD’S DELUXE RESORTS

All standard Disney World deluxe rooms come with the basics–a couple of queen beds, a TV and a dresser or two, a minifridge, a table with a two chairs or a two-part desk and chair, a split bath, and a closet with a safe.

(For more on what you get, see this.)

What varies is how these are laid out, what more you get, and decor.

The smallest deluxe rooms–at the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge–come with little more than the basics.

See the floor plan.  These rooms sleep four, and while not as small as a room that comfortably fits two queens can be, they are not much larger.

Contrast the floor plan for the Grand Floridian. 

These are the largest fully-deployed standard rooms at Walt Disney World (rooms in the newer parts of the Polynesian are bigger than Grand Floridian rooms, but not those in the older parts).

Additional width and length creates room for an easy chair, sofa (that sleeps another person), and desk.

Hotel designers prefer adding length to adding width, since added width increases the square footage of interior hallways that needs to be heated, cooled, furnished, cleaned, and walked down, but provides little help for the biggest design challenge–fitting in the split bath.

But without more width, there won’t be enough circulation space to fit the couch. 

From a design perspective, the Beach Club and Yacht Club are exemplary for fitting everything in without either excess square footage or any sense of the furniture crowding the room or being hard to get around.

As noted above, the split bath can be the hardest design issue.  A split bath separates facilities so that two or three family members can use them at once, but in its most common design creates an eight to ten foot long hallway between the corridor door and the sleeping space–wasted square footage.

Disney’s earliest designs present a curious set of thoughts on how to split a bath.

See the image–the baths in the original smaller rooms at the Polynesian are on the left, and at the Contemporary on the right.

Resorts built since then segregate the sinks into one space, and the bath and toilet into another. This is why the whole bath ensemble can be nine to ten feet long.

So why does all this matter? 

More square feet costs you more.  It’s a little more complicated than that, so I’ll come back to costs in a second, but for the moment see the image.

It charts standard room square feet on the vertical axis, and standard nightly room price (all prices on this page are pre-tax weekday rates for the Fall price season of 2012) on the horizontal axis.

The charted points show where the deluxe hotels fall, and the red line is added to illustrate the correlation between square footage and nightly rates.

More space means higher capital and operating costs; but it also means more value, value that can be charged for.

But space isn’t the only thing going on here, as there are some correlations within the hotels themselves.

See the image, which orders the Disney World deluxe resorts by nightly price. (This image includes both standard and savanna-view rooms at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.)

• The three most expensive resorts are not only the three with largest rooms; they are also the three monorail resorts, the most convenient hotels to the Magic Kingdom
• The three middle-priced deluxes are not only in the middle of the square footage pack, but are also the three Epcot resorts, the hotels most convenient to Epcot
• The least expensive deluxes not only have the smallest rooms but are also the least convenient of the deluxes.

 So the deluxe prices charge for value: for convenience as well as size.

DINING AT DISNEY WORLD’S DELUXE RESORTS

This material continues here. I promise no more talk about square feet…

PAGES: Previous  |  1  |  2  |   3  |   Next

This is the third page of this review of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. For the first page, click here.

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort opened in November 1990, and in 2009 completed a major renovation.

According to Disney World’s website, the Yacht Club

“…[features] lush landscaping and the formal grace of a grand New England yacht club.

Designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern—known for his East Coast beach houses—this splendid 5-story Resort transports Guests to the summertime Shingle Style hotels of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. (Sister resort Disney’s Beach Club Resort is a more relaxed, pastel-toned edifice next door; the 2 share many amenities.)

Public areas, guest rooms and suites are adorned in dark wood and wicker furniture, portholes and simulated captain’s wheels. Cast Members are decked out in ship’s crew regalia, including navy blazers and captain’s hats.”

The architect (and former Disney board member) Stern on his own website also talks about the Yacht Club in its context with the Beach Club:

“While both hotels draw their inspiration from America’s architectural past, each has a unique identity.

The Yacht Club is reminiscent of the rambling, shingle-covered seaside resorts that were built toward the end of the last century in New England towns such as Newport, Marblehead, and Bar Harbor.

The Beach Club is lighter, more airy in expression. It is modeled on the many Stick Style cottages and resorts that could be found in towns like Cape May, New Jersey.”

(For more on Stern’s role in Walt Disney World, see this.)

Well, I have a couple of issues with this.

First–and yes, do laugh at me for arguing with Stern, the master, about his signature Shingle Style–vernacular Shingle Style has a few more curves than the Yacht Club. Rounded turrets and eyebrow dormers are common elements missing in the Yacht Club.

But more to the point–these two resorts just aren’t that different. [Read more →]

WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT PRICE CLASSES

Walt Disney World has a ton of hotels, and it groups most of them into three price classes:

• Deluxe resorts, with the nicest rooms and grounds, best dining, best service, and highest prices
• Value resorts, with tiny rooms, limited dining and service, but the lowest prices, and
• Moderate resorts, in between the values and the deluxes, but a little closer to deluxes.

 The image gives you more specifics on what you can expect to find in each price class.

MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• For where to stay, see this
  • For your next best choices, in order, see this
  • For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
  • For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
  • For where not to stay, see this

• For what you get in each resort price category, see this
  • For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
  • For resort reviews, see this
  • For the value resorts, see this
  • For the moderate resorts, see this
  • For the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this

• For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this

• Large families should look at this, and also at
  • Large Families Looking for Value Pricing at Walt Disney World
  • Large Families Looking for Deluxe Accommodations at Disney World
  • Beds and Sleeping Spaces at the Walt Disney World Resorts
  • Renting Disney Vacation Club Points
  • Suites at Walt Disney World

• Military/DOD families should look at this

• Tightwads should look at this

• Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this

DISNEY WORLD’S DELUXE RESORTS

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the deluxe resorts are distinguished by having

• the most amenities
• nicest views
• best dining options
• best transport
• largest rooms
•  best service, and
• highest prices.

There are eight deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World, and you really can’t go wrong booking any of them.  Whichever you stay at on your first visit will likely become your favorite.

However, for first time visitors who may never return, some are better than others.  There are fundamental differences among them in their kid appeal, and major differences in their convenience in carrying out this site’s itineraries.

Based on these criteria, the ranking of these resorts for first time family visitors who may never return is as follows:

1. Polynesian
2. Wilderness Lodge
3. Animal Kingdom Lodge
4. Contemporary
5. Grand Floridian
6. Beach Club
7. Yacht Club
8. BoardWalk Inn

(Most of these deluxe resorts also offer on their grounds Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) studios and villas, which are deluxe-class and for rent to the general public.

Stand-alone deluxe-class DVC resorts–that is, not associated with another deluxe hotel–include Disney’s Old Key West Resort, and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa main resort and Treehouse Villas. The DVC resorts are ranked separately here.  If these standalone DVC resorts were listed in the above rankings, they would come in at the bottom of the list.) [Read more →]

This is the second page of this review of Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. For the first page, click here.

MORE ON DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is one of 8 official Disney owned and operated deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World.

In their recommended order for first time family visitors, they are

1. Polynesian
2. Wilderness Lodge
3. Animal Kingdom Lodge
4. Contemporary
5. Grand Floridian
6. Beach Club
7. Yacht Club
8. BoardWalk Inn

Many of these also offer Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) studios and villas, all for rent to the general public–see this for more on the Disney Vacation Club resorts. The Yacht Club does not have a DVC offering.

ROOMS AT DISNEY’S YACHT CLUB RESORT

[Read more →]

(This page is one of a series explicating Walt Disney World lingo, abbreviations, and FAQ for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.)

DISNEY WORLD’S EPCOT RESORTS

The Epcot resorts are deluxe resorts grouped around Crescent Lake within easy walking distance of Epcot, and a moderately longer walk away from Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Boats take guests to both parks as well.

As I count them, there’s seven Epcot resorts:

• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• The Swan
• The Dolphin

But most people, when they think of the Epcot resorts, are thinking of the Beach Club, the Yacht Club, and the BoardWalk Inn.

I’m not keen on these resorts for first time family visitors–they hold up the bottom end of the list of Disney World deluxe resorts ranked in order.

But for returning visitors, they are wonderful choices and the favorites of many. [Read more →]